A 28-year-old man has been charged with a public order offence after allegedly leaving the queue of mourners to approach the Queen's coffin on Friday. Muhammad Khan, from Tower Hamlets in east London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday. The Metropolitan Police said he was charged under the Public Order Act. The live video feed of Westminster Hall cut away when the incident occurred at around 22:00 BST. A statement from the Met Police said: "Muhammad Khan, 28, of Barleycorn Way, Tower Hamlets, was charged on Saturday, September 17, with an offence under Section 4A of the Public Order Act; behaviour intending to cause alarm, harassment or distress. "He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, September 19." He is the second person to be charged with committing an offence while in the queue to see the Queen lying in state. A 19-year-old man was charged after allegedly exposing himself and pushing into mourners from behind as they waited in the line at Victoria Tower Gardens on Wednesday. Adio Adeshine was charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. He will appear at Southwark Crown Court on 14 October. The late Queen Elizabeth II will remain in Westminster Hall until the day of her funeral on Monday. Source: BBC News

The National Rugby League Competition (NRLC) Match Review Committee suspended two Mendi Muruks players after citing them for Contrary Conduct in the Digicel Cup Major Semi Final match between PRK Mendi Muruks and Agmark Rabaul Gurias. The decision was reviewed after an appeal was submitted by the Mendi Muruks’ team management against the one-week suspension each for Julius Yakopa and Charlie Simon. In the 77th minute, Muruks five-eighth and captain Charlie Simon and second rower Julius Yakopa disputed the referee’s decision to call a knock on and used offensive language at the referee. Their actions delayed the game for over three minutes as the referee repeatedly called for the scrum to be set. After fulltime Simon and Yakopa carried on with contrary conduct towards the referee which incited some spectators to react by throwing plastic water containers towards the field of play. Appeals Committee Decisions: Referee’s Actions Reviewed: Referee failed to put Charlie Simon and Julius Yakopa on report and also failed to sinbin/send them off during the time of the incident which held up the game for 3 minutes. Decision Outcome: Referee’s failure to penalize the players has enabled the Appeals Committee to reduce the demerit points by 50%, enabling both Mendi Muruks players to take the field in this Sunday’s Preliminary Final against Kroton Hela Wigmen. Players’ Actions Reviewed: The actions of both players also impacted the game after fulltime by inciting spectators to throw water bottles and other items towards the interchange areas and field of play which is not acceptable to the ground standards of Digicel Cup games. Decision Outcome: A fine of K10,000 has been imposed on PRK Mendi Muruks for the actions of the two players inciting unacceptable crowd behavior after the game. We hope this sends the message to franchise officials and players and spectators that contrary conduct and disrespectful behavior will be acted upon. Such behavior should not be allowed to diminish the enjoyment of the finals for the majority of spectators.

Two decades ago, the idyllic bay was transformed for the cult classic starring Leo DiCaprio. Today, the area is still struggling with the ecological fallout. In the 2000 film The Beach, a young Leonardo DiCaprio, hot off Titanic fame, plays a young backpacker who discovers a tropical paradise in the form of a secluded beach, home to a community of travelers. Despite its cult classic status, The Beach was a critical flop—DiCaprio was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for worst actor, and today the film ranks as one of the worst Danny Boyle ever directed. But though both the film’s director and stars moved on from the tropical-themed blip in their career, the filming location—located on southern Thailand’s Phi Phi Leh island—remains mired in an environmental crisis caused by the filming of the movie between 1998 and 1999, according to local officials. On Tuesday 13/09/22, Thailand’s Supreme Court upheld a previous ruling for the Royal Forest Department to continue with rehabilitation works on the beach and island. It also upheld a 2019 agreement made between the plaintiffs and the two film production companies—20th Century Fox and Thai film studio Santa International Film Productions—to provide 10 million baht (around $273,000) for the rehabilitation project, funded by the U.S. firm. When The Beach film crew arrived on the white sand beach of Maya Bay 24 years ago to shoot the movie’s most iconic scenes, they gave the area a makeover which included uprooting native plants and introducing alien species—changes that local officials say have severely damaged the local ecosystem. The years following the movie’s release also saw hoards of tourists flock to Maya Bay and its surrounding islands, which put further pressure on the beach’s environment, as pollution from tourist activity destroyed nearby coral. In 2018, local officials shut the beach indefinitely as part of a rehabilitation plan, before reopening it in January this year. Tuesday’s ruling came more than 20 years after the first lawsuit was filed. Back in 1999, local authorities and environmentalists sought 100 million baht in compensation in a civil lawsuit filed against senior Thai government officials and the two production studios involved in the filming of The Beach. However, the court only accepted their case in 2012, more than a decade after filming had wrapped. After reportedly paying the Royal Forestry Department four million baht to film at the location, The Beach film crew made drastic changes to the beach’s landscape in an attempt to create a more cinematic tropical aesthetic. Bushes that naturally lined the beach, which held sand together and prevented erosion, were torn out and replaced with dozens of mature palm trees that were not previously there. DiCaprio, now known for his environmental activism, tried to reassure critics at that time, saying that the island was going to be “better off than it was before” by the time filming wrapped. “From what I see everything is okay. I have seen nothing that had been damaged in any way,” he said. But even as his team tried to return the beach to its original state after filming, removing the palm trees, replanting those plants they had uprooted, and setting up bamboo fences along the beach to hold sand in place, large amounts of sand continued to be washed out to sea. After the shoot was over, witnesses described the beach as a “forlorn scene of ugly bamboo fences and dead native plants,” the Guardian reported. The ecological damage was exacerbated in the years that followed. By 2018 the Hollywood-famous island was welcoming about 4,000 tourists and 200 boats every day. Maya Bay was reopened to visitors in January this year after more than three years of closure for rehabilitation, but with a cap on tourist numbers and visiting hours. However, it was closed again last month for another period of environmental restoration, with plans for reopening in October. Source: Vice World News

An Australian man has died after being attacked by a kangaroo he had been keeping as a pet, police say. A relative found the 77-year-old man with serious injuries at his home in Redmond, about 400km (250 miles) south of Perth. When the ambulance crew arrived at the rural property, the kangaroo prevented them from treating the man. Police say they were forced to shoot the marsupial dead so paramedics could reach him. The man died at the scene. A police spokesperson told media they believed the man had been attacked by the kangaroo - a wild animal - earlier in the day. Australia is home to about 50 million kangaroos, which can weigh up to 90kg and grow to 2m tall. But fatal attacks are rare - this is the first one reported in Australia since 1936. Kangaroos have "a lot of weapons" such as sharp teeth, claws and powerful legs, kangaroo behaviour expert Graeme Coulson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "Certainly if they're cornered or in some sort of distress, that can be quite dangerous," Associate Professor Coulson said. "The problem with kangaroos and people is we're both upright animals, we stand on our two feet, and an upright stance like that is a challenge to the male kangaroo." In July, a kangaroo left a 67-year-old woman with cuts and a broken leg after it attacked her on a walk in Queensland. And a three-year-old girl suffered serious head injuries in an attack in New South Wales in March. Urban development across Australia is increasingly encroaching on wild kangaroo habitats. Source: BBC News

The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has said he will call for a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Browne signed a document confirming Charles III’s status as the new King, but minutes later, said he would push for a republic referendum after indicating such a move earlier this year during a visit by the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The Caribbean country is one of 14 nations to retain the British monarch as their head of state. Browne told ITV: “This is not an act of hostility or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, but it is the final step to complete that circle of independence, to ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation. When asked for a timeframe on the referendum, he said: “I’d say probably within the next three years.” Browne told ITV on Saturday his country would remain a committed member of the Commonwealth, even if it removes the monarchy via referendum. Browne in April called on the Wessexes during a trip to Antigua in April to use their “diplomatic influence” to achieve “reparatory justice”, and outlined his country’s wish to one day become a republic. Prince Edward was criticised as “arrogant” for joking that he had not been taking notes during Browne’s comments. William and Kate, meanwhile, were accused of harking back to colonial days in Jamaica in March after the pair shook hands with crowds behind a wire mesh fence and rode in the back of a Land Rover, just as the Queen had done 60 years prior. Demonstrators accused them of benefiting from the “blood, tears and sweat” of slaves, while in the Bahamas they were urged to acknowledge the British economy was “built on the backs” of past Bahamians and to pay reparations. Jamaica’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, suggested to William and Kate that his country may be the next to become a republic, while a minister from Belize said afterwards that perhaps it was time to “take the next step in truly owning our independence”. William acknowledged after the trip that the monarchy’s days in the Caribbean may be numbered as he stated the future “is for the people to decide upon”. … we have a small favour to ask. Millions are turning to the Guardian for open, independent, quality news every day, and readers in 180 countries around the world now support us financially. We believe everyone deserves access to information that’s grounded in science and truth, and analysis rooted in authority and integrity. That’s why we made a different choice: to keep our reporting open for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This means more people can be better informed, united, and inspired to take meaningful action. In these perilous times, a truth-seeking global news organization like the Guardian is essential. We have no shareholders or billionaire owner, meaning our journalism is free from commercial and political influence – this makes us different. When it’s never been more important, our independence allows us to fearlessly investigate, challenge and expose those in power.    Source: The Guardian

The Rabbitohs are through to the preliminary final for the fifth year in a row, setting up a rematch of last year's NRL Grand Final against the Panthers next weekend, after beating the Sharks 38-12 on Saturday night, Just six days after a brutal clash with the Roosters in Finals Week 1, South Sydney were a step above their opponents at Allianz Stadium, showing both impressive grit in defence and patience with ball in hand. Winger Taane Milne was a key contributor, scoring two tries and setting another up, while the accurate boot of Latrell Mitchell was important too, with the fullback converting all six of his side's tries and kicking a late penalty. The loss came at a cost though, with record-breaking winger Alex Johnston failing to finish the game due to a suspected hip flexor issue and forwards Siliva Havili (calf) and Jai Arrow (groin) being ruled out as well. After getting off to a flying start with a try inside the opening two minutes, South Sydney spent much of the opening 20 minutes defending their line, as Cronulla dominated possession but failed to find a way through. And after weathering the storm as the game flowed from end to end, Jason Demetriou's side struck two telling blows inside the final 10 minutes of the first half. Milne scored out wide after some crisp quick hands inside created space, before Cameron Murray powered through a would-be tackle from Dale Finucane to score under the posts, with Mitchell converting all three of his side's tries for an 18-0 lead. Cronulla scored immediately in the second stanza, with winger Ronaldo Mulitalo batting the ball down for his Kiwis teammate Briton Nikora to score, but Lachlan Ilias quickly cancelled it out with one of his own at the other end. The NRL Bunker ruled out a possible second for the Sharks after finding an infringement in the lead up to Jesse Ramien crossing, before both sides traded tries which left the the Rabbitohs in front 30-12 with 15 minutes to play. A second for Milne, along with a Mitchell penalty, finished the game at 38-12.

A diplomat from Papua New Guinea allegedly assaulted his wife and an employee in an apparent drunken rage at a Taipei City restaurant last month. At 5 p.m. a 44-year-old man who works as a secretary at the Papua New Guinea representative office in Taiwan took part in a dinner party with his fellow staff members at a restaurant in Taipei's Zhongshan District on Aug. 12. After a long night of heavy drinking, the diplomat at 4 a.m. got into a heated argument with his wife and began to smash her head with several glass beer mugs, reported SET News. When a male employee surnamed Liao tried to intervene to protect the woman, the diplomat waved the broken beer mug at him before throwing it at Liao. As the worker tried to shield himself, he suffered a laceration to his left arm that required six stitches. It was not until other bystanders joined in with Liao that they were finally able to restrain the diplomat on a pool table. Liao had four or five abrasions to his upper chest during the struggle with the assailant. When police arrived on the scene, they took the diplomat into custody at a nearby station. After the incident, the suspect reportedly refused to apologize to Liao, who has since filed a lawsuit for his injuries suffered. Liao told SET News that the assailant's wife suffered trauma to the back of her head and temples and appeared to lose consciousness and was unable to speak on the day of the assault. She has since reportedly declined to press charges against her husband. The suspect has served as a diplomat for Papua New Guinea in Taiwan for over 10 years and in 2018 was arrested for driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.58, reported Next TV. Although he claimed diplomatic immunity, a Taiwan court ordered him to pay a fine of NT$75,000.   Source: Taiwan News

Huon Gulf District MP and minister for Community Development, Youth and Religious Jason Peter visited the Erap Gabmazum cluster primary school's expo yesterday during the 47th independence day celebrations. This was part of his visit to schools and communities to get first hand information and the status of how basic public services are operating in his electorate. He spent an hour greeted students, teachers and parents around Erap Primary school campus before taking the stage. He was welcomed by a traditional singsing group from Erap Primary school. His message to the students, teachers and parents was to work hard and work together as a team to change education status in the district to produce competitive human resources in Papua New Guinea. On his speech, he has promised to support by funding the cluster primary schools expo in Wampar LLG and eventually to fund the other schools in the district run similar event. He was really convinced on the cluster primary schools expo staged as first of its kind event in his district. He has also promised to build a high school for Wampar LLG area. He stated that under his leadership, he is planning to build an advanced education system in his electorate which the high school would be part of the work to deliver. Jason said the plan to build the high school will be a priority. He continued on with his visit after spending three hours at the school's expo.

Former soccer player David Beckham has queued for 12 hours to see the Queen lying in state in London. Speaking from the line to see the late monarch at Westminster Hall, Beckham said it was an experience "meant to be shared". "We all want to be here together, we all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our Queen and I think something like this today is meant to be shared together," Beckham told the BBC. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder and England captain told ITV News he joined the line at about 2am local time. The wait time in the queue had increased to at least 19-and-a-half hours by 10:30pm, local time. "I grew up in a household of royalists, if my grandparents would have been here today I know they would have wanted to be here, so I'm here on their behalf," Beckham said. A woman queuing with Beckham said "big respect to him, he's stood with us and he's paid his respects how he wants to". Asked by a reporter if the long wait had affected his knees, Beckham replied, "knees are OK, it's the back". Later inside Westminster Hall, BBC footage showed Beckham sombrely bow his head as he paused at the coffin. The Queen's closed coffin will remain at Westminster Hall until the morning of the state funeral.

Prime Minister James Marape yesterday put a verbal invitation to Papua New Guinea’s Head of State, His Majesty King Charles III,  to officiate at the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary in three years’ time. In a delightful conversation that demonstrated the King’s familiarity and fondness of PNG, King Charles replied to the invitation by saying he “should have to brush up my Pidgin to be sure” and that “I hold Papua New Guinea very much in my heart”. The telephone conversation is a precursor to the in-person meeting the King will soon have with the Prime Minister as part of the events marking the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. It was made by the King directly to the Prime Minister to advise him of the change in meeting dates from 16th to 17th September between the two leaders. As Prime Minister Marape met his staff of the PNG High Commission office in London over a small ‘kaikai’ to mark his arrival in the UK and PNG’s Independence Anniversary, the call was put through from Buckingham Palace to him. Here is an excerpt of the transcript: PMJM: It is not a good time to talk to you now, in the passing of our Queen. But I am happy that you have visited Papua New Guinea four times. We are very fond of you. It is a sad time that you have taken the throne, and I am here to witness your ascension as well as be part of the occasion where we lay your mother, our beloved Queen, to rest. KCIII: It is so good of you to come all the way with your being busy with so many other things. I heard you had a terrible earthquake. PMJM: Yes, we had an earthquake. But our Queen is the Head of State of Papua New Guinea. You were there 47 years ago when we gained Independence and it is really an honour and privilege to represent your people in Papua New Guinea to mark both Her Majesty’s passing and Your Majesty’s ascension to the throne. KCIII: It gives me great comfort and reassurance to know you and other members will be here to mark this great sorrow we all face. And as you say, I have particularly fond memories of being in Papua New Guinea. I cannot thank you enough for the kind and wonderful tribute that you and others have made to the Queen. It is truly touching to me to hear and read what people have been saying. Thank you. PMJM: Your Majesty, the privilege is ours. She served us very well in the last 70 years she was on the throne. For PNG, the last 47 years; we remember very well your coming to Port Moresby on 16th September 1975. Well, it is 16th September 2022 as I am talking to you as the King of Papua New Guinea, the Commonwealth and her realms. KCIII: I shall do my utmost best for you all. I know the kind of challenges you face – climate change and global warming. We must find ways; we have to tackle it. I look forward to having a word with you, hopefully, in a day or two. In the meantime, thank you so much for your kindness. I am very touched. PMJM: Your Majesty, if you don’t mind. In three years’ time, your country Papua New Guinea will be celebrating 50 years of Independence. I would like to, on behalf of your people in PNG, place a call to you, if you can be our chief guest on that occasion. I know you are a very busy man but if Your Majesty can be gracious enough to be with us in Papua New Guinea. KCIII: That’s so kind of you, I shall see what I can do. I should have to brush up my Pidgin to make sure. But many, many thanks and my kindest thoughts and wishes to you. I absolutely love Papua New Guinea, which I hold very much in my heart.

The Eels have dominated the Raiders to take a 40-4 victory and progress through to a preliminary final against the Cowboys next week at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. It was not only the Canberrans’ worst defeat of the season, but their biggest ever finals defeat. Parramatta young gun Will Penisini opened the scoring after a horror error from Jordan Rapana handed his rivals the ball in strong field position. But young gun Xavier Savage had to best his teammate with an "ugly moment" of his own. What seemed like a nothing play turned into a four-pointer for Tom Opacic after the ball bounced through Savage’s legs. “When he didn’t make a play at the ball I thought he was in trouble here, split his legs... huge moment in this game,” Fox League’s Greg Alexander said. “It was an awful bounce but Opacic just chased and chased,” Fox League’s Shane Flanagan said. “This is an ugly moment for him (Savage),” Fox League’s Andrew Voss said. Moments later, a bullet Mitchell Moses pass found winger Waqa Blake who scored a simple try. The Eels continued their red-hot try-scoring form with a simple effort from Junior Paulo who ran through a gap as big as the “Sydney Harbour Bridge”. “Paulo just runs through the Sydney Harbour Bridge... they were shot to bits there Canberra,” Alexander said. “They dragged them all in around the line there, it is a demolition here from the Eels.” While Savage was clearly disappointed with his error early in the contest, he bounced back in a big way to “light up CommBank Stadium”. The young gun showcased his speed to slice through the line and score from 70 metres out. “Not just a try of skill, not just a try of speed, but a try of great character as well,” Voss said. “Xavier Savage, young star lights up CommBank.” From then on Parramatta dominated, and tries to Mitch Moses and a Marata Niukore double handed the Eels a huge victory in front of their home fans. Moses left the field for a HIA in a moment that left Eels fans with their hearts in their throats but passed and returned to the field. Source: Fox News

Fiji expect their men's rugby sevens team to win. After bringing home two Olympics Golds, which are so prized the team's faces are minted on the nations $7 notes, silver at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games was never going to cut it. Losing to New Zealand at the World Rugby Los Angeles 7s final last month was another disappointment. The new head coach, Ben Gollings must've been starting to sweat but now the Flying Fijians are world champions again after their 29-12 victory over New Zealand in Cape Town on Monday. The Melrose Cup, or the "World Cup" is the most prestigious prize in Rugby World Cup Sevens. Fiji has won the title only twice before in 1997 and 2005. On Wednesday night the team arrived at Nandi International Airport, returning the cup to the Fijian shores for the first time in 17 years. A large crowd of media, officials and family greeted the tears amid tears of joy and singing, before garlands were proudly placed around their necks. "This win was special for the team and the nation," said Gollings. "The people are so happy." Gollings hung up the boots in 2011 after a decorated career with England which counts him among the best players in sevens history. He's still holds the career record for most points scored in the World Series Sevens. But he had no international coaching experience before taking over as Fiji coach nine months ago and had to prove himself with team who were the epitome of Fijian national pride. The two big aims for 2022 were a gold at the Commonwealth Games and winning the World Cup. Falling short of a Commonwealth gold, it must have been tears of both relief and joy that rolled down his cheeks as at the sound of final buzzer on Monday. In a beautiful piece of symmetry, Gollings played for England against Fiji the last time the Pacific Island nation won the World Cup Sevens in 2005. "I'm so very proud of the team and management and thankful to the support of my wife and family to make the opportunity a reality," Gollings said. "We are enjoying the celebrations and look forward to what is ahead." Source: ABC Pacific